Catching Up!

You'll all be happy to know that I haven't been kidnapped and taken away. I've just been off adventuring away from computers. There's too much to write about, but let me fill you in on a bit!

Hue -
Yuri almost backed out of the motorbike tour, but then got brave and went for it after all - and it turned out to be her favorite part of the whole trip! I think she felt liberated by it or something. :) It was fantastically HOT that day, but we at least had a constant breeze in our faces on the bikes. Our guides were sweet and friendly. They told us interesting stories, took photos for us, helped us understand the history of Hue better, and waited for us for as long as we wanted to explore the sights that they drove us to. My favorite part of the trip was probably meeting the 77-year old woman from the small village where the Japanese Covered Bridge was built. She gave us a high-spirited, interactive demonstration of how rice was harvested and what village life was like in her day. she even sang for us! We also visited some pagodas, temples, and the old Citadel in the center of town.
From Hue, we took the night bus (12 hours) to Hanoi.

Hanoi -

Yuri's dad met us when we got off the bus at 7am, and the three of us had breakfast at a rooftop cafe overlooking St. Joseph's Cathedral. We made plans to meet again for dinner, then Yuri went back to her dad's office to sleep, while I checked into a hostel, had a much-needed shower, and then took the winding and chaotic streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter with a map and my camera. The Old Quarter is remarkable...you can buy everything from counterfeit money (to give as alms!) to stuffed frogs to woven mats and much, much, much more...
Yuri's dad took us to a Korean restaurant for shabu-shabu (but it wasn't as good as in Korea). Then we said our goodbyes. Yuri wants to come visit Gongju sometime later this year, or early next year. I hope that works out!
In the evening I booked a 3-day boat trip in Ha Long Bay, and took a walk around the lake, which was all lit up with hanging lanterns and full of families sitting on benches and eating ice cream.

(Note the Weasel Coffee)

"Monument to Martyrs"

Che Stall

Basket of frogs

Fine Arts Museum

Interior of an old courtyard-style house

I'm going to stop for now, because I feel like the day is getting away from me. I will write separate posts later about the Ha Long Bay trip and what I've been doing since I arrived in Laos (where I'm posting from now!). Stay tuned... :)